The challenge of undertaking: the EduCaixa awards have achieved it
The entrepreneurship it is not an intangible idea, an unattainable dream. Because the examples show that our young people are capable of making it a reality. Supported by experts, motivated and well prepared, they are capable of reaching far. They just need the oxygen ball to launch their idea. The Desafío Emprende awards from EduCaixa they have achieved it
Creativity, initiative, cooperation and effort they constitute the fundamental aspects that drive entrepreneurship. That is why it is so important that our young people have the knowledge, education and the necessary tools that help them internalize this concept little by little.
They say that theory is one thing and practice is another, and the best way to motivate them is always the second. The Desafío Emprende Awards from EduCaixa they are one of those initiatives that enliven the entrepreneurial spirit of the students and that, therefore, result in projects full of imagination.
The technology of bracelets
For example, Healthy Pets adapts the technology of Fitbit bracelets to animals, and thus it facilitates to its owners the early detection of diseases and health problems. It's not just sound tries to convert noise pollution into electrical energy, capturing the noise in situ and transforming it into electricity (direct current) that is consumed or stored in the moment. Or if what we aspire to is to accelerate the reproduction of vegetation, we have Biobexa, a proposal that avoids the burning of rice straw and reuses and distributes the acid obtained in the process.
Thanks to initiatives of this kind, we were able to witness the desire and willingness of the youngest with ideas aimed at improving the world around them. With a small impulse, like the challenges of the partners, the students discover from the hand of large companies, such as Everis Foundation, Eurest, SegurCaixa Adeslas, DXC Technlogy and KPMG, how they can go further. In accordance with their challenges, they accompany them with the objective of exploring, deepening and applying better in their proposals.
Silicon Valley, US focus in innovation, entrepreneurship and technological development, is the goal of this EduCaixa Award. Of the 35 finalists, five teams travel this July where Steve Jobs made a name to know different spaces and ways of working. They have the opportunity to participate in workshops and practice as a team, as well as learn from the experience of professionals working in the leading companies in the world. It is "a great experience that will boost your entrepreneurial skills and your personal growth", they assure from the Banking Foundation "la Caixa", promoter of these awards.
Entrepreneurship in the classrooms
Bring the bases of entrepreneurship to schools is another of the proposals that arise with this project that combines creative, business and educational skills. The centers are in charge, in this case, to request the initiative to work the entrepreneurship in the classroom through methodologies that promote the development of all the basic competences of the students. Based on problem-based learning, cooperative work and a wide variety of resources, both physical and digital, students can design a project that responds to a need of their environment.
The Young Entrepreneurs Program It aims to awaken these entrepreneurial skills in students, promote personal growth and enhance the capacity for initiative. They also help to develop creativity, autonomy, organization and teamwork among students. This is a training that includes the development of skills for the XXI century: detection of opportunities and problem solving, ability to face uncertainty, take risks and make decisions, skills to work as a team and know how to communicate properly, among other aspects .
Digital Project
New technologies and digital development continue to be one of the main areas of development, so EduCaixa proposes the BigData program, of data intelligence. This offers students the tools that allow them to foster an active, critical and realistic attitude towards digital technologies and data, assessing their strengths and weaknesses. It also teaches them to recognize the presence of digital data and its implication in our daily life; the value of extracting and processing them to generate knowledge and participate in society. This tool is available to teachers, who can access the program by registering on its web platform, www.bigdata.educaixa.com, or with the application BigData EduCaixa application.
For young people the most entertaining part is given by the Dataton, framed within the BigData Challenge Award. Through this, students can present a digital journalism project in order to develop a news about the social or environmental impact of mobile devices. Those selected have the opportunity to move to the Dataton phase, which consists of activities under the UN Sustainable Development Goal 11: "To make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable".
Isabel Requena
